A Man Can Die But Once
by AshGopal
Summary: It is the ultimate irony being reincarnated as the child of the God of Death. Unfortunately, nobody involved is laughing. SI as Bianca DISCONTINUED, REWRITTEN AS LAZARUS
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! Welcome to my new story! I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

I died.

That's a strange thing to say, now, isn't it?

You may be wondering how I'm still able to talk to you. Hmm… to be honest, I don't really know either.

I was a really good person, if I do say so myself. You're probably wondering what that has to do with anything, but don't worry, I have a point. I promise that I'll get to it eventually.

I am a good person. My short, abrupt life wasn't the very best. I was orphaned and grew up being toted from foster home to foster home. Some of them were ok, and some… had a bit to be desired.

But I didn't complain. I persevered and made my way through school, then college.

Of course, I got stuck with massive student loans, but hey, now that I'm dead, I don't have to pay those bitches back anything. Suckers.

So yeah. I got a degree and stuff, but just as I was about to go on the job market, I got a letter from my old orphanage telling me that dear old Mother Tina, the woman who practically raised me, was on her deathbed.

And so, being the good person that I was, I went down to see her.

And then she asked me to run the orphanage in her place.

Fuck it, but I couldn't really say no.

So after Mother Tina passed away, I gave up on my dream job of working on Wall Street and took over St. Eisen's Orphanage.

Regardless of my situation and looming debt, I loved all the kids unconditionally. They were all so sweet and innocent and it wasn't their fault that they got the short end of the stick.

So we made our own family there, at St. Eisen's.

A few years passed and just when a group of us were making our way home from the supermarket, Sophie excitedly ran ahead of us and onto a busy intersection just as the light turned green.

Everybody could only watch in horror when the cars that were already in motion got closer and closer to her.

I'll admit it, I panicked.

I bolted over to where she was and threw her out of the way of the incoming traffic, but unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to get myself out of the way in time.

And so I died a gruesome death.

The end.

Or so I thought.

Many religions have different beliefs on what happens after death, but I was hella surprised when I found myself standing in front of a man alternating between being horrifyingly skeletal and damn sexy riding a boat.

It was pretty much a blur after that. I ended up in front of a creepy court who deemed that I was good enough to go to 'Elysium'.

Ooooh, I know where I've heard that word before. But before I could dwell on it, I was ushered off to this paradise.

And frankly, it was kinda nice.

Alright, I know that you don't want to hear this, but after a while, Elysium gets kinda… dull.

Hey, I'm just speaking the facts here. It's like a long stretch of beach with spirit servants tending to your every need. But as every person living by a beach could tell you, it kinda loses it's appeal after a while.

So after doing a little asking around, I learned that if I wanted to, I could go to the Isle of the Blessed. Like the ultimate party club that ran 24/7. I was so down. But the catch was that I had to make it to Elysium thrice in a row.

Pshhh, piece of cake. If I made to Heaven by being nothing but me, then it would be easy.

Aaaand then they told me that they were going to have to wipe my memories. I wasn't really happy about that, but hey, YOLO, right?

…That's actually probably not an apt reaction, considering my current situation, but whatever.

So they took me to the river Lethe and told me to skinny-dip in it. Well, maybe they didn't use those exact words, but you know what I mean.

But get this. Even though I went and immersed myself completely in that black river, I didn't forget a thing. Not one. Which was pretty fucking strange, if you ask me. I knew that that wasn't supposed to happen.

But I'm not stupid, so I didn't say anything.

They told me to close my eyes and relax, and I must have dozed off at some point because the next thing I know there are bright lights and loud noises and gigantic people.

I had no idea what the shit was going on so I kinda just stared blankly as I waited for everything to click. And that made the people around me panic even more, then a giant person lifted me up and roughly whacked me on my backside.

 _That_ was totally uncalled for and I screamed my outrage. That seemed to calm them down, somewhat.

It was a strange, surreal feeling. I tried to move around and ask them some questions but found that I was unable to do so. And then I was easily picked up and handed to another giant.

Except this one was smiling softly and was really pretty. She had pale, creamy skin with dark hair and warm brown eyes. She spoke gently to me in another language that I couldn't really understand, but she kept on repeating one word to me.

Bianca.

Like I said, I wasn't stupid. Using all of the fairly obvious contextual clues around me, I figured that I was now reborn and that my new name was now Bianca.

Bianca. I liked it. I approve. From henceforth, I shall be known as Bianca.

Then a lower, more masculine voice spoke up. I turned my tiny baby head to meet the gaze of a tall, pale man. He had long black hair and black eyes that indicated more than just a hint of madness.

And that was when my heart dropped.

See, during my time in Elysium, I'd met a manner of interesting folks, and from time to time, the good ol' king and queen of the Underworld would drop by.

So I was under no doubts that this guy was the one and only King Hades, god of the Underworld.

And that was when I started to cry.

The woman cooed and cuddled my blubbering form closer, trying to comfort me, but it kind of fell flat when I heard the next thing the guy said.

" _Bianca di Angelo, vi do il benvenuto_."

And that was the precise moment where I knew that I was fucked.

* * *

I had my suspicions, of course.

In my previous life, I had the pleasure of being introduced to many a fandom when I attended University. I was something of a shameless fangirl, but hey. I refuse to be judged.

And one of the glorious stories that I enjoyed was the Percy Jackson series.

Alright, maybe I was a _little_ obsessed with it. Just a little.

So when I learned that my name was Bianca di Angelo and that my father was Hades… well, you see the connection? Coincidences like this don't just happen.

But the constant doubt festered in my mind all throughout my childhood. Hades, or who I _think_ is Hades, wasn't there really often. He showed up from time to time to check in before he took off again. Real nice guy, he was.

And yet, my mother was enamored with him. Maria, that was her name, another scary coincidence, never seemed upset with anything. She was always smiling and gentle and happy.

I quite liked her. I'm glad that she's my new mom. Especially if I'd grow up to look like her, cuz _damn_ she's pretty.

She was my only constant companion for two years. She cleaned me, fed me, clothed me and just overall raised me without that smile leaving her lips even once.

Gotta give props to the woman, she's a serious badass, especially for virtually being a single mother, especially at this time.

Oh yeah, another weirdly suspicious thing. I'm about 99.8% sure that this isn't the 21st century. Especially with all of those Mussolini posters hanging everywhere whenever Maria took me out on a walk.

But hey, then again, it could always be an elaborate prank. After living in a household of dangerously mischievous orphans for a few years, you learn not to take everything at face value.

But yeah. I was now Bianca, the tiny Italian toddler of Maria di Angelo.

Being Italian is fun. I mean, seriously, do you _hear_ how these people speak? I love it.

Maria was actually something of an heiress, so she had a lot of money. On one hand, that meant her being a single mother was even more socially frowned upon than normal, and on the other, she had enough cash to throw at people to make them shut up and mind their own business.

Not that she would actually throw it. She was way too classy for that.

So I began my childhood in a rich Italian mansion surrounded by rich Italians. Me being me, I learned to walk pretty quickly because crawling around got old real fast.

I picked up on Italian pretty quickly as well. It must be because my baby brain is hardwired for it, I don't know. But in the end I was the most awesome Italian baby ever.

Life was pretty good, except for the niggling fact that I _may_ or may not have been reincarnated into the Percy Jackson universe. Seriously, pressure like that could drive a girl insane.

But I persevered. Because I'm awesome like that. Through the glorious skill of compartmentalization and ignoring the obvious, I made it through the first two years of my childhood virtually unscathed. Well, except for that incident with the shower curtain, donkey and the miniature golf club, but that's a story for another time.

My days of voluntary ignorance came to an end on a fateful Italian day.

I was outside in the sizable garden doing random shit with wood chips and dirt when Maria's gentle voice called me in.

And being the good Italian toddler that I was, I waddled over to her.

She giggled at my dirt smeared state then bent down to wipe off my face. I let her.

" _Bianca, I have a surprise for you._ "

I looked up excitedly at her shining dark eyes. A surprise. I liked surprises. " _What is it, Mama?"_

She smiled. " _You told me that you would like somebody to play with, right? Well, in a few months you'll have a younger brother_!"

Even though my mind was whirring furiously, I was genuinely happy with that. " _Really?_ "

Maria grinned. " _Really. You're going to be a big sister soon, Bianca._ "

I whooped and pounced on her, tightly embracing her. A little brother. This was going to be _awesome_.

* * *

And sure enough, seven months later I found myself sitting outside the hospital room my mother was giving birth in. I wasn't allowed in so I was sitting with one of the stuffy maids that was paid to follow me around and be a stick-in-the-mud.

I was trembling with excitement. A real, actual baby brother. I've had dozens of pseudo-siblings in my previous life, but this was special because I had never had a real family.

This little kid was going to be my own little baby brother.

" _Bianca, please refrain from moving so much. You're embarrassing yourself_."

I ignored her. Stick-in-the-mud.

It had already been hours since Maria had gone in with creepy Hades-lookalike. I wasn't sure I could contain my excitement much longer.

Once again, I praised my decision to be reborn. If I'd stayed in Elysium I'd never have a new baby brother. I am so smart sometimes.

Finally, _finally_ , I was called in. I zoomed into the room, practically pushing everyone out of the way in order to see my little brother.

And there he was, clutched against a smiling, sweaty Maria's chest.

He was so pink and tiny, then he looked at me and yawned.

I fell in love instantly.

" _Bianca dear, meet your new brother Nico di Angelo."_

That was when all doubts of my current predicament went out the window. I still had a smile on my face as tiny Nico tightly gripped my small finger, but my mind was running thousand miles per hour.

I am undoubtedly in the Percy Jackson Universe.

Somehow, due to a glitch in the laws of nature, I ended up as Bianca di Angelo, the older sister of homicidal goth but lovable Nico di Angelo.

My mother was going to die.

My brother and I were going to spend over 50 years trapped in time.

I was going to die.

And instead of planning for it, I had been dicking around for two entire years.

I looked down at the tiny, innocent form of my new younger brother. That was when I swore to myself.

Just because my goal is to somehow end up in Elysium doesn't mean that I'm gonna allow this life to go as suck-tastically as the original Bianca's had gone.

No, fate can go and screw itself. I'd be damned if I allow Nico to become that hollow shell that he had been in canon.

As Nico cuddled into me, my resolution strengthened. No, the Olympian Gods will have no idea what hit them. Bianca's come out to play, and she's bringing out the big guns, baby.

* * *

 **Holy Mother of God, I have no idea where this entire thing came from. But yeah, that's all for now, folks! Thank you all so much for reading!**

 **This idea literally came from nowhere, so please tell me all what you think. I'm still reeling from the whiplash.**

 **But yeah! Thank you all for reading and I hope that you have an epically fantastic day! See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

Nicodemos Dante di Angelo was literally the cutest thing to ever grace the planet earth. Period.

He had soft wispy black hair and wide dark eyes that followed me wherever I went. And his gummy smile.

God.

Or Gods, considering who my new dad is. But yeah.

I adored him.

I spent every free moment I had by his side, which admittedly was shorter than I expected. It seemed that now that I knew how to speak Italian fluently it was a green-light for the start of my lessons.

The only thing I struggled with was Italian, because hey, it wasn't my first language. It took me a little longer to adjust to the grammar and sentence structure and shit.

But everything else was fair game, like math and sciences. The face that my tutor made when I wrote all the numbers from 1 to 100 on our first session was priceless.

Oh, they started teaching me other languages too. Upon my mom's insistence, they began 'teaching' me English, supposedly because my father was American.

My grandfather wasn't really happy about that. But considering the fact that World War I had just ended and that he was a Colonel in the Italian Airforce, I guess that I could see where he was coming from.

So yeah. My education had just started and was taking away my precious time with Nico.

But whenever I was released from the evil clutches of the tutors who loved to squawk mindlessly at me, I kidnapped Nico from his crib in a prehistoric-looking stroller and wheeled him away into freedom.

Oh god, you should have seen the first time Nico's nanny found him missing from his crib. The mansion descended into _utter chaos_. It was beautiful.

All of the staff were running around like headless chickens, screaming incoherently and bumping into each other while my mother classily sat in a corner with a cup of tea in her hand and a smile adorning her face.

She had seen me slip out with my brother which quelled all of her worries, but the awesome woman decided to just sit and watch the madness.

When I later asked her why she didn't intervene, she just smiled that serene smile and told me that she thought that it was funny.

I now know why Hades fell in love with this woman. It was because she was a complete Troll.

As I pulled the Nico-disappearing stunt over and over, people began to get used to it. Which was a shame. I revel in chaos.

I always wheel Nico outside into the garden and we take a walk. When I know that nobody's around, I talk to him in English.

Because hey, I may now speak Italian but that doesn't mean that English isn't my language. I'll always be an obnoxious American at heart. You can take the American out of America but you can't take the America out of the American!

…Or something like that….

But yeah. When it's just me and him, I tell him about my previous life. About all of my foster homes, about how cool the 21st Century would be (if we survive long enough to see it, being a fricken monster-magnet and all…) and about all of the orphans that I had left behind. Billy, Tommy, Jessica, Sophie, Carl, Mahashri, Dakota, Shin-Woo, Francesca and Alejandro.

I told him about each and every one of them, all of the memories I had. It was my way of remembering, I guess. I couldn't be with them anymore, not after my Death, but this was my way of letting them go. It was slow, but as I recited all of our misadventures and Nico listened with wide, dark eyes, the painful feelings of loss in my chest slowly transitioned into fond remembrance.

Little baby Nico was my Shrink.

…I am so messed up.

But whatever. I have bigger things to worry about.

Like the immortal, almighty god that decided to drop by for a visit.

* * *

It was on just a normal day that I kidnapped Nico for a stroll through the garden that I finally ran out of stories to tell him.

"I… don't have any stories that you haven't heard, bud."

Nico looked devastated.

I felt like I had been shot.

I was such a bad person. How could I disappoint my little brother like this?!

"Nonono, I still have a few stories to tell! Yeah, wanna hear about the evil, all-powerful Darth Vader? Or, or about the awesome, badass Captain Jack Sparrow? Or, I dunno, wanna hear about Naruto and his band of crazy ninjas, just for god's sake, don't look at me like that, Nico!"

"You know, I wouldn't mind hearing about them. But I have to admit, I have a few questions about why a kid like you would know about them."

I froze.

Oh shit. I was busted. Even though I had been so careful, now somebody knew that I spoke English fluently even though I had no reason as to how I was able to.

I slowly turned, ready to start making up bullshit excuses, then I saw _him_.

Simply put, he was hot.

Both physically and metaphorically.

He was the best-looking man I had ever seen in my two lives. He had golden blond hair that was ruffled as if he had just stepped out of a shampoo commercial and the brightest blue eyes that shone like they sky on a perfect day. His body exuded an unnatural warmth that had the potential to be comforting, but was currently stifling.

"Haha, hi there! What brings a fellow English-speaker around these parts of Italy?"

The man's blue eyes glowed with mirth and the heat surrounding him hot a bit hotter.

Nico whimpered and I frowned. As subtly as I could, (which, to be honest, wasn't very subtle at all) I slid Nico's stroller behind me so that my admittedly small form could defend him from the heat as best as I could.

The man watched us in curiosity. Finally, after a long, uncomfortable silence of him observing us, he replied. "Oh, nothing in particular. I just overheard a fascinating conversation about media that shouldn't even exist for another 50 years, so like any responsible God of the Future would do, I came to see what was up."

Ooohhh shit. This guy better not be who I think he is.

"Um, Lord Apollo?"

"At your service."

"Oh."

I laughed nervously. Because, how do I even begin to explain what he was asking?

"Um… nice to meet you?"

Apollo nodded sagely. "Of course it is."

The Sun God's gaze left me and turned to Nico. My little baby brother was looking at him with wide eyes, his hand stuck in his mouth with drool running down it.

"Who's this little guy?"

"Nico di Angelo, Lord Apollo."

"And you?"

I gave a short bow. "Bianca di Angelo, at your service."

"Hmmm." He stared at me. "You're a strange one, aren't you?"

I smiled stiffly. "I prefer the term 'unique'."

Apollo huffed out a laugh. "Funny, too. And confident. I don't know may who are aware of my identity and continue to fearlessly look upon me."

"I'm… special?"

Apollo's blue eyes bored into my own. "That you are. I don't know many souls who have bathed in the River Lethe who still retain their memories."

And so the ball drops.

I close my eyes in anxiety. "Lord Apollo…"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to out you."

I look up at him in shock. "You're… not?"

He smiles slightly. "Nope. I'm just here to warn you." His face loses all traces of humor. "It's not every day that the Fates let someone slip through with their memories intact. They must have allowed this for a reason and it's not my place to interfere. I'm just here to warn you."

He eyes me gravely, his eyes a piercing blue. "Do not attempt to misuse your knowledge. You have seen the fates of those who misuse their power. Do not be one of them."

I swallow. I know that the knowledge I have about the future isn't a thing that I should take for granted, but for an actual _Olympian_ to come and warn me about misusing it…

Apollo must have seen the utter terror on my face because his face softened. "Do not be afraid of it, little one. The future always has many paths, that is its nature. It is up to your choice on which path you will take."

He knelt in front on my tiny form so that he could look in my eyes. "The Fates have burdened you with a great responsibility. I pray that you will be strong enough to bear the burden. Else, that little one's life may be forfeit." He jerked his chin to a softly babbling Nico.

I felt a swell of emotion in my stomach. No. _No_. I refuse to let anything happen to Nico. At first he may have just been a character out of a book that I had taken pity on, but now he was my brother. I would _not_ abandon him to his fate.

The God must have somehow read my intent on my face because he smiled. "Good. Resolution is good. I approve of your loyalty to your brother."

And suddenly, I remembered. I wasn't the only one so crazily overprotective of my sibling. Apollo was the same way with Artemis.

I nodded, my voice thick in my throat. "I would do anything for him, my Lord."

Apollo studied me intently. "You surprise me, demigod, and I don't need my foresight to see that you will continue to do so."

He stood and looked down at me. "This will not be the last time we meet, Bianca di Angelo, daughter of Hades, ruler of the Underworld."

There was a searing light that forced me to close my eyes against the glare and when I opened them again, he was gone.

Nico and I just stood in silence. I turned to him and he looked at me with wide eyes.

I nodded seriously. "Yup, little buddy. That just happened."

* * *

You know, Maria was a fricken badass woman, and just an amazing lady overall, but she had a real sick sense of humor.

You know she's Italian, right?

So she's craaazy Catholic.

Yup.

So Pope Pius XI is running things around here. And… he's actually an ok-kind of dude. I mean, nowadays, whenever you think of people high up in the church you think of all those scandals with those pedos with their flowery little choir boys, right? But as far as I can tell, Pius isn't really into that kind of shit.

Or hey, he might be, and he's just really good at hiding it. Don't look at me. You have no _idea_ how much this man is worshipped here, it'll be a gods-damned miracle if _any_ dirt on him would be able to get out.

Religion. A nice, pretty word for fanatical, officiated cults.

But yeah. Pius is pretty chill. In fact, last I heard, he actually asked Mussolini to tell Hitler to chill with the whole 'Death to Jews' thing he has going on. So he's an ok dude in my book, regardless of whether or not he likes to cop a feel of little boys in the storage rooms of churches.

Oh yeah. Hitler.

I'm in the same time period as this bitch.

I'm already concocting ways to take him out, but sadly, it's a little hard for a 4-year-old little Italian baby to get her hands on some tanks and AK-47's. Yes, most of my plans include heavy artillery. It'd be fun to blow him into tiny smithereens.

Whoa, another tangent. Ok, back to Maria's crazy Catholicism. So she's _super_ religious. We gotta say grace before every meal, and we have a private tutor to teach us about the Bible every other day of the week.

Yes, _us_.

By the grace of the gods, Baby Nico has finally joined me in my study sessions. He's around 2 now, so he's old enough to regurgitate anything the Bible studies tutor crams into his head. It's so damn funny to watch. He doesn't give two shits about it, but he'll nod along to whatever he says.

Say what you want, but Nico know how to pick his battles. And pissing off the Bible teacher, and in turn, disappointing our mom isn't one he's itching to fight.

Only two and he's already so wise. Must be my influence.

So Maria's super Catholic. It's so ironic though, that she still believes in God after meeting dear old Dad. Even the reveal of the existence of the Greek Gods did nothing to sway her faith.

Seriously, one meal where Hades joined us and we said grace before eating. He looked like he swallowed a lemon, it was priceless.

I think it's a hit to his macho-god-man-ego that mom doesn't think he's a _real_ god. In her eyes, he's like some sort of… existing being that has the power to reanimate skeletons and control ghosts and not die, but he's not _God_.

But she's totally cool with the whole 'Death' think he has going on. I dunno, maybe she has like a hidden goth-fetish or something? But she's so onboard with it that she decided to honor him in her own little way.

With our names.

Yeah. You wanna know our official names? Bianca Azrael di Angelo and Nicodemos Dante di Angelo.

She honored him, _Hades_ , the _Greek_ god of Death, by using _Catholic_ references to legends of death. With the names of an Angel of Death and the man who supposedly wandered into Hell alongside Vergil in Dante's Inferno.

Honestly, sometimes I wonder if she does this stuff on purpose. Either she's so oblivious it's scary or she's a troll with balls of steel. I seriously can't imagine anyone else, including _myself_ , doing something like this and not getting blown into pieces, and I'm his fucking _daughter_.

Hmmm, is it blasphemy if you offend a god in the name of another god?

I don't know, but I'm not sure I'm eager to find out. I may be ballsy and slightly off my rocker, but I'm sure as hell not suicidal.

I sincerely hope that neither Nico nor I inherit this particular trait from Maria. Mortals don't survive for very long after insulting Higher Beings. And that's _kinda_ against my long-term goals.

Alright, fine. _Goal_.

Survival.

* * *

 **Heeyyy. Hi people. Please don't kill me for not updating for the longest time. Please.**

 **But yeah, thank you for reading! I'll try to update again soon, because all the plot bunnies are coming back with a VENGENCE, but school starts, like, tomorrow, so that might be** _ **kinda**_ **hard. Don't worry, I'll still try, though.**

 **And yeah, some of you might have noticed that I changed the category to Percy Jackson/Kane Chronicles crossover, and all I have to say to that is… wait for the next chapter, things will be clearer :D**

 **So yeah! I hope you liked the chapter and have an awesomesauce day!**


	3. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Hey guys. I'm really sorry about this but I've decided to take this story down and re-write it. It's just, ugh, right now, I'm really unsatisfied with it, somehow. So, yeah, I'm sorry.**

 **I'm planning on changing it to a different format, and this will allow me to update it every week or every other week, so there's that to be excited about. Gah, I'm just super glad I decided to do this so early before I got like 20 chapters in or something, that would really suck...**

 **So yeah! Once again, I'm so, so sorry, but I really need to do this, or else my brain will kill itself. Keep your eyes peeled, I should be posting the new story within the month.**

 **Thank you for all your support till now and I hope that you'll forgive me, you guys XO**

 **I'll see you all soon!**


	4. REWRITE ANOUNCEMENT

Hey guys!

The rewrite of this story is up on my profile, just as promised! Its name is Lazarus! Go on over and check it out! Hope you like it!


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